Battle of Jena–Auerstedt
| Battle of Jena–Auerstedt | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Fourth Coalition | |||||||||
Napoleon rebukes a Grenadier of his Imperial Guard, who according to legend, eager to join the battle, shouted "en avant!" – "forward!" – during the battle of Jena. The Battle of Jena by Horace Vernet, 1836 | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| French Empire | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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40,000 deployed to do battle, 76,000 total (Jena) 26,000 (Auerstedt) Total engaged: 66,000 |
55,000 (Jena) 64,000 (Auerstedt) Total: 119,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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5,000–6,000 (Jena) 7,052–7,100 (Auerstedt) Total: 12,600 killed, wounded, missing or captured (1,000 Killed in action) |
26,000–27,000 (Jena) 13,000–15,000 (Auerstedt) Total: 41,000 killed, wounded, missing or captured | ||||||||
⬤ current battle
⬤ Napoleon not in command
⬤ Napoleon in command
The twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt (German pronunciation: [ˈjeːna … ˈaʊ̯ɐ.ʃtɛt]; older spelling: Auerstädt) were fought on 14 October 1806 on the plateau west of the river Saale in today's Germany, between the forces of Napoleon I of France and Frederick William III of Prussia, at the outset of the War of the Fourth Coalition during the Napoleonic Wars. The defeat suffered by the Prussian Army subjugated the Kingdom of Prussia to the French Empire until the Sixth Coalition was formed in 1813.
Several figures who were later integral to the reformation of the Prussian Army participated at Jena–Auerstedt, including Gebhard von Blücher, Carl von Clausewitz, August Neidhardt von Gneisenau, Gerhard von Scharnhorst, and Hermann von Boyen.